Yoon Suk-yeol Meets U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs... "A Stronger ROK-U.S. Alliance Is More Important"

Meeting with Senator Ossoff and others for about an hour
First diplomatic move after political declaration

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate (right), shakes hands with Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (center), at the People Power Party headquarters on Gukhoe-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th. 2021.11.12 Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, made his first diplomatic move since declaring his political candidacy by meeting with Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and John Ossoff, U.S. Senator from Georgia.

On the morning of the 12th, Yoon met with Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink and Senator Ossoff at his campaign office inside the central party headquarters in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where they discussed Korea-U.S. relations and North Korean denuclearization for about an hour.

Attending the meeting on behalf of the People Power Party were Chief Secretary Kwon Seong-dong, Representative Park Jin (Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee), Representative Cho Tae-yong (Chairman of the International Committee), and Chief Spokesperson Lee Yang-su. From the U.S. side, Christopher Del Corso, Charg? d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, Ray Benitez, Chief of Staff to Senator Ossoff, and Richard Larsen, Chief of Staff to Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink, were present.

The two sides greeted each other with handshakes upon meeting in the candidate's office. When Yoon said, "Congratulations on your recent confirmation," Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink responded, "Thank you for meeting with me."

On the morning of the 12th, Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is speaking during a meeting with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul. 2021.11.12 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink then emphasized, "I believe there is no more important U.S. ally than South Korea," adding, "What I want to stress during this visit is that the U.S. commitment and pledge to South Korea's security and the Korea-U.S. alliance remain rock-solid."

Senator Ossoff said, "Because the alliance between our two countries is very important, I thought it was important to visit Korea," and added, "Especially, I believe our alliance will be further strengthened not only in security but also in economic relations, science and technology, public health, environmental protection, and the shared values of democracy and human rights."

In response, Yoon stated, "The importance of a comprehensive alliance covering not only traditional security but also health, environment, climate agreements, and advanced digital technology in the Korea-U.S. alliance cannot be overstated," and added, "From both the U.S. and Korean perspectives, the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance has now extended beyond security to global issues, making a firm alliance between Korea and the U.S. even more crucial."

He also emphasized the need for international solidarity. Yoon explained, "I place great importance on a rules-based international order and predictability in diplomacy between countries," and said, "Since the U.S. has had a positive influence on the development of democracy in our country, I hope global issues will be effectively resolved through solid solidarity among countries that share values with the U.S., which shares the values of democracy and human rights, and that Korea should actively participate in this."

Earlier, in September, Yoon had announced a foreign and security policy pledge to establish a 'comprehensive Korea-U.S. strategic alliance' and strengthen extended deterrence against North Korean nuclear threats.

Meanwhile, before the primary, Yoon's presidential campaign team included a 'foreign policy think tank' with Professor Kim Seong-han of Korea University Graduate School of International Studies, Professor Hong Gyu-deok of Sookmyung Women's University, Baek Seung-ju, head of the security policy division at the People Power Party campaign, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Headquarters Chief Kim Yong-hyun, former Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for Korean Peninsula Peace Negotiations Lee Do-hoon, Professor Park Cheol-hee of Seoul National University Graduate School of International Studies, and Shin Beom-chul, head of the Foreign Affairs and Security Center at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade. It is expected that once the People Power Party's election committee is formed, foreign affairs personnel appointments will be expanded and foreign policy pledges will be reorganized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.